Chapter 89 (2/2)

She didn't believe that the Empress was the one who did this. Maybe the Emperor also didn't believe it, but the evidence for this crime was too complete. Maybe if the Emperor stood up to speak for the Empress and the case had no way of being reversed, then in the eyes of the people, the Emperor would be thought to be protecting the Empress and deliberately stalling for time.

The Empress had accompanied the Emperor for so many years. But now that someone had schemed against her, her man would not come out to speak for her out of fear that his reputation would be ruined.

A white figure knelt down next to Hua Xi Wan. She turned and glanced at the person. She lowered her head slightly. ”Crown Princess.”

”Greetings, Xian w.a.n.g Fei.” The Crown Princess threw a few of the paper money into the burning basin and then used a handkerchief to touch her eyes that were red but empty of tears. ”w.a.n.g Fei looks thinner—please take care of your body.”

”It was just because of not sleeping well these past days,” Hua Xi Wan said with lowered eyes. ”Crown Princess, you have just given birth to the imperial grandson—why are you able to come here?” If she wasn't wrong, the Crown Princess should still be in her recovery?

”I just wanted to see the Empress Dowager before she was buried.” After Lin s.h.i.+ said this, she threw another stack of paper money into the fire. Watching as the fire in the basin grew, she said expressionlessly, ”When I heard that w.a.n.g Fei was here, I wanted to come and see even more.”

Hua Xi Wan did not know what her words meant so she remained silent.

”I heard that w.a.n.g Fei's tang jie has become engaged to my elder brother?” Lin s.h.i.+ did not care that Hua Xi Wan was silent and spoke directly. ”My brother is a reliable person. The Hua Family's daughter does not have to worry about being slighted being married to him.”

Hua Xi Wan continued to burn paper so that the fire in the basin would not go out. ”In this mourning hall, I think it is not appropriate to speak of this topic.”

”You are right.” Lin s.h.i.+ kowtowed three times to the Empress Dowager's coffin and then threw all of the paper money in her hand into the basin. ”It really is not the best time to speak of such joyful news here.”

Hua Xi Wan detected that something was wrong with the Crown Princess. After frowning, she hesitated and then said, ”Crown Princess, please take care of yourself. His Highness the imperial grandson still needs you.”

Lin s.h.i.+ smiled. It really was inappropriate for this smile to appear in the mourning hall, but Hua Xi Wan saw the endless pain in this smile.

”I once thought that if I had not married into the Imperial Family, I would have been very happy to be close to a female like you.” Lin s.h.i.+ lightly grasped Hua Xi Wan's hand. ”But there are no maybes in this world. Xian w.a.n.g Fei, I hope that you will not be the same as us.”

After she said this, she stood up from the prayer mat, and made a deep bow to the Empress Dowager's coffin before striding away.

”Crown Princess.” Hua Xi Wan detected that there really was something wrong. She turned back to look and only saw Lin s.h.i.+'s determined and straight back.

She stilled for a while. When she turned and saw the fire in the basin was about to go out, she hurriedly threw some paper money in. Her brow unconsciously furrowed.

At this time, someone else knelt down next to her. It was Xu w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zi Fei. The two of them nodded at each other and then started to silently do this boring duty.

One hour later, Ning w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zi Fei and Sheng Junw.a.n.g Fei took over their positions and they could finally slowly walk out of the mourning hall on numb legs. There were many more members of the Imperial House waiting outside. Each of them had sorrowful expressions, as though the Empress Dowager had been someone extremely important to them.

Yan Jin Qiu saw Hua Xi Wan walk out moving awkwardly and knew that her knees were in discomfort after kneeling for so long. He couldn't resist helping her to sit on one of the wooden chairs. But in public, he couldn't do anything else and only touched the palm of her hand lightly.

Xu w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zi Fei sat down on the opposite side. She and Hua Xi Wan exchanged a look and the two exchanged nods again.

Xu w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zi Fei thought, if this was not the mourning hall for the Empress Dowager, Xian w.a.n.g probably couldn't resist ma.s.saging Xian w.a.n.g Fei's knees for her. She had originally thought that Xian w.a.n.g was insincere towards Xian w.a.n.g Fei, but now she thought that if this was not true love, then Xian w.a.n.g was too scary. Because how vicious could a person be to themselves if they could act like this?

After the younger members of the Imperial House finished their s.h.i.+fts in kneeling, they would return to their fu on carriages with white lanterns before repeating this whole process on the next day.

The day when the Empress Dowager was buried, the weather was exceptionally clear. The sun in the sky was enough to bake people.

Hua Xi Wan and Yan Jin Qiu sat on the carriage. Whenever the procession stopped, they had to get off the carriage to kneel until the official of rites said they could rise before they could get on the carriage and move forward again.

After doing this for half of the way, Hua Xi Wan felt that she was being dried into human jerky. She secretly took a few drinks of cold tea inside the carriage before she felt better.

After transporting the coffin into the imperial tomb, the Empress Dowager was buried with the previous emperor with the name of Benevolent and Harmonious Empress Dowager. When the doors to the emperor's tomb were closed, all of the people who had come performed the three bows and nine kowtows. The Emperor recited a prayer that he had written before ordering everyone to rise.

Before getting on the carriage, Hua Xi Wan couldn't help but look at the emperor's tomb behind them. She felt unspeakably bleak.

”Careful of your step.” Yan Jin Qiu held her hand lightly and said gently, ”It is hot outside, go in.”

Turning back to look at the man beside her, Hua Xi Wan smiled and then stepped onto the stool to get into the carriage.

Yan Jin Qiu followed in. When he entered, he saw Hua Xi Wan's forehead beaded in sweat and took out a brocade handkerchief hidden in his sleeve. He wiped the sweat carefully from her face. ”Have a good nap when we get back.”

Hua Xi Wan reached to grip his hand and said with a smile, ”All right.”

Translator Ramblings: Funerals are hard enough without adding on physical suffering.